Azure Activity Logs: Kubernetes Pod Deletion via Connected Clusters API

Flags Azure Activity Log events indicating Kubernetes pods were deleted for connected clusters.

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azure-activity-logs-kubernetes-pod-deletion-via-connected-clusters-api-b02f9591

title: "Azure Activity Logs: Kubernetes Pod Deletion via Connected Clusters API"
id: 463fee06-e955-409f-b008-23ade9dcae38
status: test
description: This rule identifies pod deletion events in Azure Activity Logs for Azure Kubernetes connected clusters. Attackers or administrators can delete pods to disrupt workloads and cause impact or service degradation. The detection relies on Activity Logs entries where the operationName matches MICROSOFT.KUBERNETES/CONNECTEDCLUSTERS/PODS/DELETE, capturing the event tied to the initiating identity and request context.
references:
  - https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/role-based-access-control/resource-provider-operations#microsoftkubernetes
  - https://github.com/elastic/detection-rules/blob/065bf48a9987cd8bd826c098a30ce36e6868ee46/rules/integrations/azure/impact_kubernetes_pod_deleted.toml
  - https://github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma/blob/master/rules/cloud/azure/activity_logs/azure_kubernetes_pods_deleted.yml
author: Austin Songer @austinsonger, Huntrule Team
date: 2021-07-24
modified: 2022-08-23
tags:
  - attack.impact
logsource:
  product: azure
  service: activitylogs
detection:
  selection:
    operationName: MICROSOFT.KUBERNETES/CONNECTEDCLUSTERS/PODS/DELETE
  condition: selection
falsepositives:
  - Pods may be deleted by a system administrator. Verify whether the user identity, user agent, and/or hostname should be making changes in your environment.
  - Pods deletions from unfamiliar users or hosts should be investigated. If known behavior is causing false positives, it can be exempted from the rule.
level: medium
license: DRL-1.1
related:
  - id: b02f9591-12c3-4965-986a-88028629b2e1
    type: derived

What it detects

This rule identifies pod deletion events in Azure Activity Logs for Azure Kubernetes connected clusters. Attackers or administrators can delete pods to disrupt workloads and cause impact or service degradation. The detection relies on Activity Logs entries where the operationName matches MICROSOFT.KUBERNETES/CONNECTEDCLUSTERS/PODS/DELETE, capturing the event tied to the initiating identity and request context.

Known false positives

Pods may be deleted by a system administrator. Verify whether the user identity, user agent, and/or hostname should be making changes in your environment.
Pods deletions from unfamiliar users or hosts should be investigated. If known behavior is causing false positives, it can be exempted from the rule.

Detection content is published as a reviewed draft. Tune thresholds and exclusions against your own telemetry before enabling this rule for alerting.